Nathan Hughes: Wasps and England flanker is handed six-week ban

Nathan Hughes will not be part of the England squad when it is named on Thursday morning

England number eight Nathan Hughes will miss the first three autumn internationals after being banned for six weeks for punching.

The Wasps forward was initially banned for four weeks, reduced from six because of mitigating factors such as good conduct and a guilty plea.

But Hughes tweeted "what a joke" upon leaving the hearing last week, forcing the panel to reconvene on Wednesday.

It decided Hughes did not merit a reduction so the full ban was restored.

Hughes was also charged by the RFU for conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game, and was given a two-week ban to run alongside the six-week suspension.

He can play again on 20 November, but will not be named in Eddie Jones' England squad at 09:30 BST on Thursday morning.

Hughes' absence means England are without their two first-choice number eights, with Billy Vunipola injured.

Sam Simmonds is also out so Bath's Zach Mercer is set to be named in Jones' 36-man squad, while Gloucester's Ben Morgan has also made a late bid for inclusion.

Hughes, 27, had already missed one game, having being put under a temporary ban pending Wednesday night's delayed decision for punching Gloucester's Lewis Ludlow.

Ludlow himself received a four-week ban last week for a separate incident earlier in the same game, having been cited by independent commissioner Andy Blyth for stamping or trampling on Hughes' Wasps and England team-mate Elliot Daly.